Piracicaba River (Minas Gerais)

The Piracicaba River (pronounced [piɾasiˈkabɐ]) is a watercourse of Minas Gerais state in southeastern Brazil. It is a tributary of the Doce River. The river rises at an altitude of 1,680 metres (5,510 ft), at one of the vertices of the Caraça mountain range, in the São Bartolomeu district. It runs for 241 km to its mouth on the Doce river, between Ipatinga and Timóteo. Its main tributaries are the Prata, Peixe, Maquiné and Santa Bárbara rivers and the Turvo stream. The basin covers 5,465.38 km² (2,110.20 square miles) of drainage area and a total of 21 municipalities.

The first settlements along the river's banks began at the end of the 17th century during the gold mining boom in Minas Gerais, which led to the foundation of settlements in Ouro Preto and Mariana. Although mining was developed in the Iron Quadrangle in the following centuries, urbanisation in the basin area was only consolidated in the 20th century, after the EFVM was leased. The railway, near the river, led to the emergence of urban centres. At the same time, the availability of forests for timber extraction and water supply from the river encouraged the installation of metallurgy companies in João Monlevade and the current Steel Valley, driving demographic and economic growth.

Thus, the Piracicaba River crosses a region with a notable presence of industrial activity, especially mining and steelmaking, supplying some of the local industrial plants and hydroelectric power stations. On the other hand, the riverbed suffers severely from siltation, deforestation, the proliferation of eucalyptus monoculture, low coverage by riparian forests and the receipt of untreated urban effluents, making it one of the most degraded tributaries of the Doce River.